Save Me
by ProfessorFerrars3256
Summary: A mysterious curse and creature taunt the island of Cyprus. Tasked by the Ministry of Magic, in cooperation with the Ministry in Cyprus, Hermione Granger must discover the secrets of the maps, the creature, and help break the curse before lives are lost; she is challenged by one Severus Snape at every turn. They must work together to free the island and themselves.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: this is meant to be an AU look into the lives of those who survived the war. I am taking liberties with the epilogue and obviously with Snape alive I've disregarded some canon. There aren't any specific warnings aside from small episodes of PTSD. The chapters will be closer to 2,000 words this story and overall it will be shorter than my longest fics. Thank you for reading!**

'"Fill 'em up." Harry smirked, serving the new mixed cocktail recipe that Draco had brought back from Ibiza, placing a sour cherry in each before passing them around.

"We've spilled more vodka on this carpet than the entire Black family did in six centuries, Potter." Draco toasted him, smirking right back to him and clinking his drink with Seamus and Dean, Hermione and Ginny, Ron and Luna, and finally his fiancée, Astoria, before they turned towards a knock at the door.

"What's the point of having all this house if I never have people around, even if they spill lemon or cherry vodka on the carpets?" Harry remarked as he looked through the tiny foe glass at his door, sure no one on the other side was meant to do them harm. He saw Bill, George, Fleur, and Angelina, and the night continued as it normally did, drinks and games, a bit of tapas and song before people effortlessly drifted home, safely of course with the new magical version of Uber and lyft, Portas, and some found rooms upstairs. It was a typical Friday night for the crowd, moving from the odd years of training and university, to adulthood with legitimate jobs and meaningful relationships. Sometimes they met at a pub near the Ministry, usually littered with other colleagues or former classmates, sometimes they retreated further away, to avoid the prying eyes and ears of those who seemed only to covet their fame. In these times, they met in a quaint little pub a mile north of the English border, where the bartender seemed to not mind the rousing debate of young witches and wizards over reform, quidditch, who was going to apply for which jobs or why the current administration was setting itself up for repeat if the chaos that immediately followed the Second Wizarding War, the odd return to normalcy and nostalgia, reflecting the lives of those who'd fought in the First Wizarding War. Sometimes it was all they could do, the young who survived trying to make it as adults, not to scream, pack it all up and move abroad. Wizarding Britain seemed stuck in a time loop. But life was good for them, to them, and though things hadn't turned out quite like they'd imagined, they were happy to be alive.'

Hermione finished writing a snippet of memoir, her observations of her friends and coworkers and all of the experiences they were having post war. She'd already devoted an entire chapter to their pub-hoping shenanigans, but it all suddenly seemed trite, how they galavanted between towns and worlds, Wizarding and muggle, and how easy it seemed their professions had come to them. Sure, she'd gone back to Hogwarts for her seventh year, worked hard for Magical Law Enforcement and on Elf rights, but getting interviews and finding placements seemed rather perfect. The only thorn in her side, the only piece of the puzzle she could never figure out was her cantankerous old professor, Severus Snape. Once he'd healed and disappeared, he rarely showed up again, maybe once or twice a year for Ministry gatherings, obviously baited by Kingsley Shacklebolt, and once she saw him at the Quidditch World Cup in Budapest, but other than that, she'd almost forgotten he'd even survived until suddenly, he was at their favorite pub in Northumberland and she couldn't help but wonder and worry about his life. It became an obsession.

The first time she remembered seeing him outside of the ministry and sporting events was with Bill Weasley in Cyprus. Bill had consulted her office after five elves, who'd been reported kidnapped by Lucius Malfoy had been found in Nicosia and since she was working to further elf rights and as a foreign liaison for Shacklebolt, it seemed only fitting that Hermione go to Cyprus. It was simply jarring to see him, Professor Snape, someone she hadn't really seen for more than her last class meeting sixth year, in khaki pants and a white linen shirt, looking incredibly Greek. She almost didn't recognize him at all, except for the massive scars on his neck, the telling reminder that he had suffered greatly. Otherwise, he was tanned, his hair was shorter, and the clothes he wore seemed so atypical to what he wore when she was in school.

"You know it's impolite to stare." He quipped, shifting his casually folded arms to the strictly bound ones she remembered from her youth. She saw the faded dark mark through his shirt sleeve, peeking through even though it was not nearly as dark as it had been the last time she'd seen it in the Shrieking shack.

"I'm just surprised to see you, sir, I meant no offense." She refused to cower, to make herself appear lesser in any way, to give him the satisfaction she had so many times when she was a student . The satisfaction of her disappointment or pain of the memories of years he'd tainted her, made a joke of her willingness to learn, of her appearance even.

"Come, Hermione, we need to get started on the paperwork straight away." It was Bill's natural ebullient nature that made her feel instantly calm. If she had only been able to love Ron and to be the woman he wanted, a wife who would take care of him as his mother had, but she just hadn't been able, not for even a few months of dating. They were so mismatched once they finally came together that it easy to fall back into friendship, awkward for less than a few weeks before she didn't feel the need to sneak around Grimmauld Place to avoid him, nor he. She'd wished to be a Weasley if only to be part of a family so tight-knit and connected, but found she didn't have to be Ron's girlfriend for that to be achieved, she was already accepted by them and had been for years. All of these thoughts made her a bit weary as she followed Bill, the Cypriot sun baking the tip of her nose and crisping her cheeks the longer they stood out front of the elaborate building.

"So you aren't going to tell me why Professor Snape is here?" Hermione finally said, walking through the museum doors, each step echoing from the marble stairs.

"I am no longer a professor, you may refer to me as Master Snape or not at all." She heard from behind her, so shocked that he'd been following him that she tripped up two stairs and smacked her knee cap, instantly spouting such foul language Bill couldn't stop himself from laughing. Severus hadn't expected the words to come from the petite woman raised by dentists in a swanky suburb of London. "Do be careful, Ms. Granger." He'd offered his arm to her to complete the stairs, but Hermione cast a quick spell on her knee and tucked her wand away, annoyed and shaken. When she followed Bill into what she had assumed would be a conference room, she realized immediately that the situation was far more dire than she'd expected and certainly not about five missing house elves.

After being in the room for ten minutes or so, Hermione saw detailed maps all over the walls, ancient and new these maps shows every nook and cranny of Cyprus. It was like re-learning runes as she looked around the room, ancient languages with bits and pieces of other mixed in, creatures I such detail that she'd never seen or heard of before and suddenly she could not, even briefly, surmise the reason they'd brought her from her office in London to a museum in Cyprus.

"Is this when I get briefed? Because I'm formulating theories here and none of them involve a lowly MLE agent who defends creature rights." Hermione looked over her shoulder at the men and wasn't surprised for a moment when she saw Harry enter the room, trailed slowly by Kingsley Shacklebolt and a woman who was so beautiful it was thought she lit the room with merely her presence.

"Good day, Ms. Granger, I am Filla Drakas, Minister for Magic of the independent magical community of Cyprus. I have heard many wonderful things of you, please, join me." Suddenly a table appeared near of the maps Hermione had been studying intently, but now she could not remove her eyes from the Minister.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Minister." Hermione swiftly sat, folded a napkin across her lap and felt Harry's hand on hers for a moment. Although she was confident and competent, since the war some parts of her personality had shifted, made her second guess herself when she clearly she needn't have, because she was still employed and doing something she actually cared about.

"Now that we have one more member of the team, I suggest we fill in Harry and Hermione." Bringing his glass to his lips, Bill turned to a projector and started playing some kind of recording.

"In 1965, we came across this map, it was expertly hand-copied from one that our ministry kept secret for milenia. We do not know who was able to view it or how, but if was found in Scotland, in a cave near the Caithness. Professor Dumbledore," at this she paused, Hermione could clearly see pain in her eyes and then a swift, note devilish sneer towards Snape before continuing, "He brought it immediately to my predecessor, but noted that nothing appeared changed, no curses or spells on the document, nothing was altered in the slightest. It wasn't until four years ago that one of our researchers noticed this." Minister Drakas used her wand, a rather long, knotty pine to point to an very small spot on the map, near a section of odd formations and she saw some topographical shapes that appeared altered from all of the other maps. It was the Cape Greko region, a port famous to the Romans.

"Good, I knew you would spot it." Bill whispered, smiling towards her and nodding to Shacklebolt.

"There is a curse on this region, a serious business of people getting stuck in a time warp, forever driving the same day, except they have no realization of this. Deep within the rock formation there is a set of runes, we don't quite recognize them and we cannot get close enough to see them now, there are two barriers, the curse and a creature." Even with all the information she'd been presented, Hermione still couldn't quite out why they'd brought her. Suddenly her tea was full again and new biscuits and baklava appeared before her, the immense pull of the honey made her want to dive in, how long had it been since she had real baklava?

"Mr. Potter, you will continue to shadow Aurors Whitehall and Benault, this will go towards the final hours you need to complete stage three training. Bill, we need you and your team down at the site as soon as Famagusta Bay is cleared. Hermione, we need your help not only translating the runes but working with the creatures, specifically the merpeople."

"I'm not ungrateful for this opportunity, Minister Drakas, but my expertise is lacking at best when it comes to runes, I haven't studied them since I was at Hogwarts and my communications with merpeople, I-" but Kingsley cut her off.

"Before you protest again, let us remember your NEWT scores in Ancient Runes and your essay in Care of Magical Creatures, a class you ceased taking your third year and yet, you earned an outstanding NEWT score. We would not have asked you here if we did not have faith in your knowledge, your abilities as it were. You will not be working alone, there are six other translators you'll be working with, and Severus of course." Hermione eyebrow quirked as she turned to the curmudgeon next to her. She had no idea he could translate much, aside from the requirements of his former profession as a potion professor.

"I simply want to restate that I feel this beyond my abilities but am willing to assist." The thought there were others who would be researching and working with the different creatures and the runes. She hadn't known that Master Snape had experience with runes, the other languages they were working with, and the creatures. And though knowing that the British Minister for Magic, regardless of their history, felt that she, Hermione Granger, had done well enough on her NEWTs to be considered for international work was enough to make her feel that she'd earned her place in Cyprus. Kingsley had shown a soft spot for them for years, but she hadn't expected this level of special treatment, even if he would not admit to it.

"We will meet tomorrow at seven sharp to debrief, but now I believe it would benefit all to have rest." Hermione bowed awkwardly to the Cypriot and then followed Bill out of the museum, her mind racing with what was being asked of her, though it didn't quite make sense, this curse and possible creature situation seemed to amount to a small kerfuffle compared to something larger, something they were perhaps discussing. Bill hesitated only a moment before he apparated them both to a rather nice location, olive trees and figs, air smelling of history, the building was traditional old, she could tell.

"Welcome to my home, Ms. Granger." HIs voice, the once effortlessly baritine voice of her former professor now a bit scratchy, still jarring and never anticipated. So she was to stay in Severus Snape's home, it appeared Harry and Bill were as well.

"The aurors will be in the annex, Potter, your room will be on the third floor, as usual Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger you will have this room." The moment she walked in, she thought it was a joke, it was magnificent, marble, full wardrobes, an ensuite bathroom, balcony overlooking the sea. Her amazement shown keenly on her face and she could hardly thank him before he turned and left her. After setting her bag down, she let the magnanimity of the day catch up to her, she was actually in Cyprus assisting a mission to break a curse and perhaps free a people.

"Dinner will be served at half eight." She hadn't known he was still watching her, but upon hearing his words, Hermione nodded and smiled at him, trying to imagine how much nicer his life must be in Cyprus than in the United Kingdom, where innocence was subjective. It never seemed he was able to live a typical life after he was cleared, the prejudice against him mounted only more so as time went on. Signing, she took her beaded bag and set a few things in the wardrobe, took some books from the small library she carried, on runes, the languages of ancient peoples, and curses. Becoming too enamored both with the literature and the sea, Hermione missed dinner time, falling asleep in the balcony sofa, books strewn about. An elf came to tidy up and leave a warm tray for her, but when the sweet little elf reported back to Snape, he made it a point to check on Granger himself. Quietly, he cast a few charms to keep any bugs from her, and made the chair she was sitting far more comfortable, the crick in her neck would be disastrous if she wasn't pushed into a new sleeping arrangement and he did not want to deal with her ire in the morning. More than anything he wanted her to be safe, though his home was extremely well-protected by spells and enchantments, he didn't quite trust anyone and certainly not a former student who had stolen from him before.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter and responded! I am having fun with this one, but you know as my writing style there will be drama, misunderstandings, and a bit of angst. This chapter deals with the difficulties of groups to work together when they have different agendas and prejudices. Snape also has a reactionary attitude towards Hermione, which has a lot to do with her obviously keen mind- not that he'd admit it. I hope you enjoy!

"How did you sleep, Hermione?" Harry asked, scooping feta and olives onto his greek salad. He wanted to try the pelmeni, but not were quite ready so he waited.

"Surprisingly good, one of Master Snape's elves must've changed the seat I was sitting in into a lounge. I slept quite well, for a change." She still felt incredibly out of place, as an outsider amongst those who were meant to be there, and she certainly didn't understand the business with Snape, what his particular role was in this endeavor aside from the fact that he obviously lived near the site they needed to explore. It still seemed like a fairytale, it's own adventure or mythical voyage and it excited her, it was the first real adventure she'd had in years, since the thrill of riding the dragon from Gringotts, thrills from less evil times as well. Suddenly, she was quite excited to be in Cyprus and not at her desk at the Ministry; sure, she loved every case she won, every time she was able to free someone or give more opportunities to someone, but this was different.

"Eat up, Ms. Granger, since you missed dinner." She heard Snape rumble from the end of the table, already moved on to conversation with Kingsley, who was to leave them to return to the UK, his deputy, Percy Weasley, came to remain while the investigation continued.

"Harry, have you been working with Whitehall and Bernault before?" Hermione had leaned in closely to him, buttering his roll as well as hers, as she'd done for years.

"Whitehall I met in stage one training, but never Bernault, which is odd for this level. I'm more concerned about that kind of tasks they might have me do, more retribution for the star Potter. I rather thought people would be beyond this now, especially since I've earned every single promotion without my name." Hermione understood immediately, the anger and frustration Harry felt that it didn't matter what he accomplished, people around him assumed he was given his jobs instead of earning them.

"I'm sorry, Harry, really, you would think this many years out we wouldn't still be facing these issues. What does Kingsley say?" Another sip of tea and two kippers later, Hermione grabbed her beaded bag, thanked Snape for breakfast and went to the front of the building, past to olive trees and figs again, the smell of something she couldn't quite describe and then his presence, behind her.

"Do you remember how to get to the museum, Ms. Granger?" She nodded politely and apparated to the museum, meeting the the other translators, most looked of Greek origin, and she could tell they were not familiar with the war stories many others might have been, she could enjoy simply getting to know some people without her status as Order of Merlin, First class holder.

"Hello, I am Hermione Granger, I am here to-" But the first one cut her off.

"Yes, we've been waiting for you. Our meeting begins in five minutes." His voice was brusque, she was immediately put off, but she wasn't late and she hoped it was simply a cultural difference. Between Snape's cold treatment and this person's, Hermione felt as Harry must, that they were always on the fringe, lambasted for one thing or another and their youth seen as a hindrance, though both had worked exceptionally hard to get to their positions.

The other arrived, one by one and into the museum conference room. All were assigned their areas to work, rooms for research and where supplies needed would be kept. They were given strict rules about visiting the site itself and interacting with the merpeople. Hermione reluctantly took her bag and went into the first research room where she met three of the six other researchers.

"I'm Ravi, I work in Romania normally in ancient languages but I am from here, this is Paolo, he's Italian, we've been on three projects together, but this lady, Tamzin, she's Portuguese, she has been working in Cyprus for twenty years." Hermione couldn't believe how beautiful Tamzin was nor how kind Ravi seemed compared to his compatriot. "And don't mind Adnan, he's not a morning person and unfortunately has a bit of prejudice against the British Ministry's presence here, it's not personal with him, he detests all Britons." It made sense, then, that there would be drawback and snide comments towards her, and she would muddle through it as she always had, this was certainly not the first time she had ever dealt with adversity of any sort.

"I'm Hermione, I am a solicitor of sorts, I studied ancient languages and runes, arithmancy, and potions." The three exchanged looks.

"And you helped defeat Voldemort, don't leave that part out." Tamzin took Hermione's hand and shook it lightly before leading her to desks near a wall of maps, copied from the one in the main conference room.

"We are studying these four for specific clues to the runes here. They are ancient, some

that we've never seen before. We are hoping to find a key, to unlock the meaning or at least to figure out what the shapes we don't know mean. Ravi and Paolo have been working on these, you may never see Bernardo or Julia, they are Adnan's personal team." Hermione looked to the door where the three came in, speaking in hushed tones, she felt an odd sort of competition now, to be better, to find the key code before they did. If they broke the code, it would help them understand the curse on the area and why it persisted, came in waves, and was immune to all action that had been taken. In what little research she'd read the evening before, she did surmise that the particular curse of repetitious days had occurred more than once in the history of Cyprus, but hadn't lasted as long as this instance.

"Where do we get started?" She asked immediately, taking paper and quill from her bag, making note of everything Tamzin and Ravi had already told her, noting what Minister Drakas had also told her, and what she knew herself about the tales of the region, stories her great grandmother had told her when she was young, on vacations with her Mum and Dad in Santorini, in Mykonos, across the Greek isles and to her familys' homeland, Servia, near Olympus. Years she'd spent, listening to the old myths, incredible stories of sirens and battles, creatures she couldn't imagine without the detail her Yia Yia, it somehow made more sense to her when she'd finally made it to Hogwarts and all the things her great grandmother had spoken about were in her textbooks and even though she knew she was only magical member of her family, it seemed to help her connect to the magical people she met when she thought of her great ancestry of Greek culture.

"Here, do you see this?" Hermione held out images from the runs on the rocks, pointing two three repetitive runes that were near the rune for sea. It makes sense, or course, being where we've found these maps and of what they contain, but the way they are repeated, it's almost in warning." The three looked over her shoulder.

"How did we miss this?" Ravi asked Paulo and Tamzin, patting Hermione's shoulder as he did.

"Look here, there's another, it looks remarkably like the rune for mountain, it's on the same rock formation, the same as the ones on the highest peak in Famagusta Bay, the one here, the image I mean copy here." Hermione recalled the maps from the night before, the rooms wallpapered with maps from centuries old, each one the same yet so different, all leading towards something, the rock formations, perhaps a treasure or forgotten hoard millenias old, the maps ranged from those she could barely date with what little information she had to those she recognized from the history of magic and history courses she'd taken at Oxford years before.

"Ms. Granger, how is it that we have been pouring over these images and documents for a year and you find this connection in that than an hour?" Adnan had come to their cubicle, a mess with papers and her quill, scratched letterings and runes.

"I am making logical guess, sir, I cannot of course confirm anything until I see more texts." He seemed to form the same, menacing sneer Snape did when he thought she was being a know-it-all, but Hermione couldn't help herself.

"Perhaps you've not heard much about Ms, Granger, Professor Adnan, she is notorious for her ability to remember profound amounts of information and for speaking-" She heard Snape over her shoulder, but he never finished his sentence, he was stopped by Percy Weasley who had brought him a message from Bill. Either way, she was frustrated at being there at all, the pride she'd felt moments before was replaced earnestly by the inherent prejudice of her kind, of her age. It didn't take a genius to see that she was the youngest researcher by far, and Harry the youngest auror, but at least Harry was working with people who treated him as an equal, well mostly. She missed Seamus and her office, she wanted to have a drink at Grimmauld Place and forget what it felt like to constantly be second-guessed. But, instead, she went back to her findings, began furiously writing everything she could find in connection to the runes they could read and then sent a missive to Bill, curious as to when she would be able to speak with the merpeople. When lunch came, she sat alone near the edge of the portico overlooking the lake and ate her feta salad quietly, still running runes, maps, and the logic of a time warp being possible in a very particular spot. The arithmancy of the likelihood of the event seemed so far her arithmancy skills had helped her calculate how often the cycle of repetition appeared, but it couldn't tell her why.

"Are you not enjoying your time here?" Hermione heard from behind her, only to find Minister Drakas standing quite still, the sun reflecting from her as though she was a mirror to the word.

"Yes, Minister, I am, it's just an adjustment. I thank you so much for this opportunity." Hermione stood and offered the kind lady a seat.

"You must not take a word Fulgencio Adnan says to heart, my dove, he is a very old man with old prejudice, if he says anything particularly unkind, I will remove him." It calmed Hermione a bit, but she knew that to be successful in the world, magical or muggle, she needed to learn to overcome the prejudice she faced, to stand up for herself but not to allow every unkind word to wound her. She finished her meal then had a sweet water with the Minister, telling her about her time at Hogwarts, mostly the good parts.

"Did you know Professor Dumbledore very well?" Hermione asked, as their cups were whisked away.

"Yes, he was one of my dearest friends, we met first while he was researching for the Ministry in Britain, I was there on exchange, learning English while also serving as a diplomat. He was one of a kind, for sure. If you would like, you are welcome to stay with me and my family at the capital house any time." Hermione was thankful for her words, for reminding her of Dumbledore at a different time and of her offer of a change of scenery.

"I must get back to work, thank you for what you've already done, Ms. Granger, we can see so much promise in you." Smiling, she shook the minister's hand then went back to the room, sat at her cubicle and poured over books, for hours, histories of Greece, of Cyprus, of the surrounding lands, everything she could possibly thought would be helpful to understanding the curse.

"Hermione, it's time to go back to Snape's, are you ready?" Looking up from her work, Hermione saw Harry, tired as she, looking as hungry as she'd ever seen him.

"No, I'll be along later, I can't take these from here." He shook his head, gave her a quick hug, then left.

"Is he your lover?" Hermione heard from behind her.

"No, he is my best friend, his wife is also my friend, we survived an entire year in the wilderness together, fighting off Death Eaters and other sundry, living on plants and dirt...sorry, I'm just-"

"Tired, you should go home."

"I'm quite well right here, but thank you, Professor Adnan." Hermione felt her own prejudice against the man, who disliked her for reasons she could never control, like so many in the magical world.

"I apologize if my question was inappropriate, Ms. Granger." At first she did not know how to respond, surely it had been inappropriate but chastising him would do no good.

"We'll call it a misunderstanding of cultures, Professor Adnan." She bowed to him slightly, and returned to her work, scratching away until all others had left the building, only elves remained, they brought her tea and sandwiches, but it wasn't until the others returned to work the next morning that Hermione realised she'd worked through the night, her arithmancy markings, runes and ancient languages, everything she'd done in almost a catatonic state was displayed around the room in the only free space on the walls.

"I'm foul, I'll pop over to Snape's and be back shortly. Look at what I've found here." Hermione left what looked like a novel of work in her stead for Ravi, Paolo, and Tamzin to review.

"No one is currently at my home, Ms. Granger, I'm afraid the shields are already in place. Perhaps you should have joined the rest of us when it was an appropriate time." At first she thought he might be joking, even if it was something she'd never seen him do, then when she realized he wasn't, she knew he was purposely punishing her.

"You know, I've come to expect prejudice and and mistrust from the magical community outside of Britain, I certainly never thought I'd have to continue this charade with my own people." Stunned, Hermione pulled her hair back, walked away from him to the loo and cast all the spells she could imagine, changing into clothes she kept in her bag, and went back to the cubicle.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thank you to everyone who read the first and second chapter and responded! Merpeople, more interaction between the people working to break the curse and learn more about the creature, and snappy Snape. Thank you for reading!

"That was fast."

"This is what happens when people have vendettas." Hermione snapped at Ravi, apologizing immediately to him for her tone but being sure that Snape heard her.

"We've read through some of what you've written, but you switched languages a few times while you were writing and even wrote completely in Gaelic here, so we might need you to interpret." It took hours to decipher what Hermione had found, to make a plan, and then Hermione received a note back from Bill letting her know that Famagusta Bay was now clear and that she could meet with the merpeople the next morning. She was tired, she knew she needed to rest but the thought of having to ask Snape if she could go back to his home made her angry, so she drank tea and worked, becoming a bit delirious by the time dinner came. She ate a few bites of the curried fish, then had a proper shower, plaited her hair, and went into her balcony. The stars were glorious, she never really saw them in London. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone move on the balcony adjoining hers, but before she could go back inside, tank and shorts making her feel quite exposed, she heard him clear his throat.

"Do you often parade around strangers home so scantily clad, Ms. Granger?" She heard Snape ask, the house coat he wore black like almost everything else he wore.

"Yes, I do in fact, I'm so often in strangers homes, what's the point of propriety? It's simply a facade, like everything else between grown people. And since when are we strangers?" She joked, unwilling to allow his foul temper to ruin her perfect view. But she had misinterpreted his tone completely, he wasn't chastising her for behavior, not really, he was worried for her safety.

"Watch yourself, the researchers at the museum might get the wrong idea." But none of them were staying with Snape, how could they possibly get the wrong idea about her, unless he was referring to her tenacity and diligence. She watched him at the balcony, looking across the void, seemingly more interested in everything he could see than any inch of skin she was showing.

"Yes, Adnan seems so keen on me he won't even address me directly or look me in the eye when he speaks, speaking to the room as though I don't exist. And Ravi and Paolo, so ridiculously happy in their own lives, they look at me in gratitude that they aren't nearing decrepitude. But with Adnan, you're right, I should watch for him, be sure not to give him the wrong idea since he did ask me if Harry was my lover." She watched Snape's eyebrows sharpen, raise higher immediately.

"As usual, you completely miss the point for your own narrative, Ms. Granger, but do watch out for Fulgencio Adnan, he may act like you are the last person he notices in a room, but he'd more than like to add you to the ever-increasing list of conquests he's made over the years, your treasure is his favorite." At first She was gobsmacked, she'd never heard Snape speak about anything in such a way and then she felt ire rise within her; this man wouldn't look at her either, he must have the same preconceptions about her, that she was some floozy conquest who enjoyed enticing men.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here, Master Snape but if at all inconveniences you, I will happily sleep at the museum and shower in the loo." She snatched her journal and quill from the little stand near the ledge and turned to go in. "You would think, sir, that with everything else we have to contend with, you would not make it more difficult for someone of my status to work here, save your annoyance with having to house former students and talk to us, even help us when you must, for Minister Drakas, Kingsley, even Percy because I have had enough. I spent all my years at Hogwarts defending you, I still do, did, but I will not constantly be reprimanded and scolded like a child, and I don't need to be warned about snakes like Adnan, I've been dealing with men like him since before I even went to Hogwarts." She went through her door, but did not slam it, she couldn't afford him the satisfaction. He'd been to drinks before, he'd even come to games, and though he had never been outwardly kind, he'd usually kept his cruelty to himself. It made no sense why he was being purposely snide. It took her hours to calm down, but finally she fell asleep, everything packed neatly and ready to go in the morning when she would meet with the merpeople and find a new place to stay. She'd written Harry a long message, but was surprised to find him escorting her to Famagusta Bay with Whitehall and Bernault.

"He's such a prat, he makes it seem like he's trying to protect my future, but he's judging me like everyone else." She whispered as they landed near the cove. Hermione saw Bill and his team waiting, she carried everything with her.

"He probably feels useless here, it is his home and he has been working on this project for three years." Hermione's eyes widened, he didn't seem to be working at all. It made her think of Sirius all those years before, stuck in Grimmauld Place and fighting with everyone, especially Snape. Being imprisoned in one's own home sounded like a nightmare to her, yet she thought that perhaps the person would welcome any kind of visitor.

"He discovered the changes in the map originally."

"Still, why is he-" But she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, he had apparated to the cove as well and was standing tall beside Bill. Hermione had spoken with many merpeople before and knew that there were protocols to speech, they spoke in riddles, never really saying what they meant and she knew asking directly about the curse would be foolish.

"Are you ready?" Bill asked, casting several protective spells over her then the bubble head charm, allowing her to communicate with the merpeople in their realm.

"Ready." She squeezed Harry's hand once, just for good measure and then went into the water. The first mermaid who came to her asked many questions, then she was led to a city, far from shore, waves above her continuing to move, but once completely immersed in the water, Hermione hardly noticed anything accept her guide. It was strange, like nothing else she'd ever experienced, and thought she tried to take every sensation in, she felt nothing but peace and calm, exactly what the merpeople wanted, as usually they lured people away from treasure or homes with the same calming eerie perfection.

"We welcome you, Hermione of the Islands, protector of creatures." The translator she used was working so well, she could hardly tell she wasn't speaking to a human on land. Although it was awkward in their rocky cave and it took ages for her eyes to properly adjust, Hermione soon felt as welcome there as she had been by Minister Drakas.

"I thank you for allowing me to see your beautiful home, Basil, I am hoping to help the humans above to end the curse." Basil reminded her of Gilderoy Lockhart, blonde hair and bright, shining blue eyes, a smile that would lure even the strongest willed creature into the deep, dark depths of the ocean.

"Yes, we will tell you a tale." Hermione listened intently as they spoke, almost in unison, as though it was a fairy story they'd been told their whole lives, a tradition of storytelling in their blood. It was a beautiful thing, to hear them, to see them speak of a history that Hermione had never heard before. They talked of a great creature, larger than a kraken, who stalked the waters around the island, protecting the bays and coves of their natural beauty and treasure, tricking those who stayed too long or dug too deeply into the bedrock, into reliving a single day over and over until they were so confused, so lost in their actions they drifted off to sea to die, madness overtaking them, delirium forcing them to believe escape was in the water and then they disappeared, given to the sea. It was all beautiful and dark, hopeless really because it offered no real explanation except a curse towards greedy sailors or shoremen who wanted to take too much of the natural resources, it seemed that something was missing; a rather large piece of the puzzle was still a complete mystery.

She thanked them again and asked if she might come back, if she wanted to ask a question or two, and they were agreeable though made sure she knew that they might not have answers. Reluctant to leave, Hermione closed her eyes for another moment of the quiet, soft sound of the ocean so deep, and then followed her guide out, never catching his name as though he was not allowed to speak to her directly. When Bill met her at the edge of Famagusta Bay, she took his hand willingly, removing the charms that had allowed her to exist so well far below the shore, and waited as he cast spells to dry her clothing.

"It was surreal. Have you been all the way down there?" Hermione asked as he handed her a flannel to wipe her face.

"Several times, Basil is intriguing, I wish I was better at riddles. He asks me one every time I speak with him, and I've yet to get one right."

"He didn't ask me one, but I guess the story they told was one long riddle, with an answer I cannot fathom. Come, I need to write it all down." Bill and the aurors went with Hermione back to the museum, where she talked briefly with the research team, and then set off to writing down everything she recalled from the experience.

"He said, they said, there was a rather large creature, meant to protect the shores, when people became too greedy, but why would that trigger a cycle now? There are no pirates in these bays any longer, no fortune seekers, no fortune really, everything sacred has been moved to the museum, the magical regions have deterrents to keep muggles from going to them even accidentally, it seems illogical based upon what the merpeople told me that the curse would recur right now." Hermione's quill tickled the edge of her mouth as she spoke.

"Yes, it is the same story Basil and Adrian have told many times, it has not deviated." Her eyes swept from her own writing to Adnan; she shouldn't have believed even for a moment that she had been the only one to speak with the merpeople about the curse, she felt foolish and heat rose on her cheeks.

"If you already have this information, why was I sent to speak with them?" Hermione asked, though cautious. She still didn't quite understand the dynamics between all the researchers.

"You are known to many creatures as one who fights for their rights, we hoped Basil might tell you something he did not tell us." Suddenly, Hermione felt used, as though there was no merit in her work, simply the reputation she'd established, and like she'd felt the first time he'd spoken to her, she shrank back for a moment and wished her own feelings of persistence and determination wouldn't continue to give her a false sense of self, of accomplishment.

"I'll get back to deciphering this, thanks." Hermione turned from all of them, looking through her notes, thinking of Basil again and his tale, the one told by he and who she assumed was his family, this story she could imagine being told to generations to protect them from the coast, but why? And how was it connected to the curse?

"Come eat with us, I want to run an idea by you." Bill suddenly interrupted her, stopping her thought mid sentence, but she finished quickly, not really ready for a break but eager to make nice with the others.

"Have you thought about the connection with Scotland?" He asked, quietly, the others at the table looking to her as Bill spoke, they obviously had a theory in the works.

"I thought you worked in curse breaking, Bill Weasley."

"Why did a copy of the map suddenly appear in Scotland in 1965? Or at any time? Why would someone need this map there?" Ravi surmised, taking a large bite of pita and hummus.

"We are all intrigued by a mystery, maybe whomever it was wanted to study this region, things weren't entirely stable in the muggle world during that time, perhaps they could only study from afar?" Hermione retorted, but even she was surprised by the presence of the ancient map in Scotland and the person themself, the mysterious map copier.

"It certainly gives us something to consider. It could easily be Dumbledore, he did love a good mystery." Harry chimed in, Bill's other curse breakers nodded, all from the British Isles, all familiar with the former headmaster of Hogwarts. It seemed like the perfect sort of shenanigans that he would involve himself in, the lore of a mystery while the wizarding world was settled between the age of Grindelwald and before Voldemort rose to power. Hermione looked at Snape momentarily, imagining him as a four or five year old, recalling from Harry's brief retelling of his life that his childhood had been unpleasant at best, she thought of a tiny fellow, with large dark eyes and the absence of despair, she hoped that at least at age four or five he hadn't yet experienced the evil he would come to know. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed him turn to look at her, looking through her really, and she knew he was in her mind before she could protect herself. He would see that she'd been feeling a bit sorry for him and despise her further, so she finished her food quickly and went back to the research area, translating more ancient documents and trying not to think about tiny Snape, desperate for his mother's love and a father to give him a good example, anyone to pay him a scrap of attention. It made her feel annoyed with herself for the annoyance she'd felt at minor inconveniences on the trip, for Adnan's strange questions and prejudice, for their use of her celebrity. Even if she'd had some struggles in school, she had parents who supported her, who raised her lovingly with hugs and kisses, soft shoulders and stern reprimands when needed. It didn't excuse every terrible thing he'd said to her, but she suddenly couldn't stop thinking about his life, how sad it was and desperate, how he'd tried to protect Harry for years because he couldn't undo an unkindness to his mother, for telling Voldemort about the prophecy that eventually killed James and Lily, and for surviving the war. It made her want to talk to him, but she knew it was useless.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: MOre information about the creature and the curse, and a little time off. Thank you everyone who has reviewed!

"You will be of no use to anyone if you fall asleep on your research, Ms. Granger." Rubbing her eyes, Hermione looked down at the ink-stained page and drool she'd left on the page, Snape's eyes traveled over her words and rested on Dumbledore, underlined and written boldly.

"You think Albus had something to do with this? Another goose chase Bill Weasley has prompted." She didn't like the tone of his voice, the accusatory way he made it seem like they weren't doing legitimate work, that they had run out of academic considerations and were resting their hopes on the small chance that Albus Dumbledore was the one who copied the map, that his story of finding the map was a ruse when he brought it to Minister Drakas, a diplomat at the time.

"It is not a wild goose chase, we are simply trying to understand the connection with Scotland." Slowly packing away her notes, she took with her a copy of the story Basil the merman had told her, and then put her bag across her body.

"Scotland is a distraction, focus on the legend, the information that pertains directly to this curse and the impetus." He folded his arms, appearing so much taller that way, but she couldn't be made to feel as slighted as she had before, all of the pity she'd felt for him before drained away, as did the color from her face.

"Of course we're considering all of it, every possible scrap of knowledge to understand, and if we can determine if someone from the UK had an answer or even a possible key to some of these runes and languages we barely know, then how is that wasted time?" Quickly shoving one more loose scrap of paper into her bag, she edged around him, not wanting to fight, but he followed her, as though compelled, and when they reached the doors to the museum, he finally spoke.

"We've been researching this for longer than you've been alive-"

"And have come to zero conclusions that have ended the curse nor taught you more about the creature. I would say at this point you should welcome any effort to help, Professor Snape." But she knew she'd gone too far, even calling him professor and saw it in his eyes. They filled completely with his rage, his own failings being pointed out made him furious.

"You are a fool, young and impetuous as always. You are here to research, to help those who are in charge and spending time on this foolish margin-line information is a waste of resources at best." She walked away from him completely this time, trying to stop herself from doing or saying something she could not take back. Instead, she apparated to his home with Harry, and tried not to think about how disparaging his words were.

"I feel inadequate here, Harry, I want to go home." She tried to let the experience of getting to speak with the merpeople, to visit them in their home, wash over her and take away all her feelings of inadequacy, but it was more difficult than she'd thought.

"Well, this has absolutely nothing to do with our work, but it might cheer you up." Harry shoved a letter under Hermione's nose and she knew immediately it was from Ginny.

"Oh, Harry, congratulations!" She hugged him tightly, his dream of a family was becoming real, Ginny confirmed her suspicions that they were expecting. Holding him fiercely, she watched as Bill and Snape arrived, having their own stilted argument.

"Bill and Percy, Harry has some fantastic news." Hermione nodded to Bill, Percy, and Harry, then swept off, she showered and changed, putting on a light summer dress and sandals before going down to the dining room and finding everyone already eating. She sat quickly and quietly, pushing a curly tendril of hair behind her ear as she took a serving spoon and adding fish and capers to her plate, with a small side of pasta with what smelled like a buttery lemon sauce. She wondered how and why Snape was providing all of this to the research team from the UK, but instead of dwelling, she simply took a bite and savored the food, she loved everything she had tried so far, feeling that a life eating Greek food would have suited her quite well. Chatter happened all around her, but she simply enjoyed her food and wine, until she looked up once and met Snape's eye, his eyes bore into her again, as though all the righteous indignation he'd worked up before still remained, brimming on the edges, his eyes so dark she could see little white. But, as usual, she had misinterpreted his anger and prejudice, he was more worried about her safety than he could convey.

"There's a bit of a party in the village to celebrate the birthday of St. Barnabas, would you like to join us?" Percy asked Hermione, she broke eye contact with Snape, she knew she should stay and work, to find something to bring to the table in the morning.

"Come, you shouldn't work all the time." Bill added, his silly grin reminding her of years before, when he'd been hurt by Fenrir Greyback and how Fleur had embraced him and called him brave, it hit her heart how lonely she felt suddenly, her eyes glazed for a moment and she felt foolish away from them, she tried to leave the table without anyone noticing.

"I'll just freshen up." She barely made it to the hallway before tears began earnestly, behind the door of the room she was still enamored with, she tried to calm herself down. Looking in the mirror, she found her cheek red, stained with tears, and the glamor she'd put on the carving on her arm and along her chest, a gift from Dolohov in the Department of Mysteries, reappeared. Strengthening her spells, she applied some eyeliner and sprayed a bit of perfume before one last look.

"Stop being a fool, Granger." Pep talk over, she joined the men downstairs and they walked into the village. She found Ravi and Paulo as soon as they walked into the main square, both with beautiful women on their arms. Tapas and drinks were offered at all the markets and restaurants, so much delicious food and drink, Hermione could hardly take it all in.

"Dance with me?" Ravi asked her, his glorious dark eyes and curly brown hair, flecked with hints of early gray hair made her entirely happy to take him up on his offer. His arm at her waist was a new sensation or at least one she hadn't felt in years.

"Your hair down, it is heavy?" He asked, taking both hands suddenly and lifting it from her neck, just as curious as most to what texture they would find upon touching.

"Yes, but it's been up all day and it's clean, it's not so humid tonight." Her smile was genuine, her pleasure in being adored for a moment was abundant.

"It's soft, so unlike your nature." Hermione pretended to be offended but she knew Ravi was right, she was made of hard edges and determination, the mass of curls on her head was a contradiction.

"It is, I agree, but I supposed Mother Nature hoped I'd have one thing to lure the opposite sex." They both laughed, Ravi spun her around a few times, his hand resting on her hip as he turned her.

"You have no trouble I am sure luring men, Hermione." But she looked dumbfounded, aside from a flirtation with Viktor Krum, a disastrous time with Cormac McLaggen, and a failed relationship with Ron, her dating life had been abysmal. "Look, over there, they are watching you, even your sour Master Snape." When he turned them, she saw Harry and Snape speaking, Snape watching her, but she could only see remembered the exact look from her youth, the sour mouth and squinted eyes, except in this climate his hair was different, he'd cut it short and he almost looked as Greek as Ravi. For a passing moment, she also saw the hint of something else, almost like worry.

"He despises me and so do most, I'm bossy and I have to be right, I'm working on it. Tell me about you, Ravi." The music slowed a bit and he took her hand, they walked to the edge of the jetty, the spray of the ocean and slight breeze made her contented. When they rested against the ancient rocks, it seemed like the freedom she'd not realized she wanted was in the breeze.

"I grew up here, my father and mother studied these maps when I was small, my wife," at this Hermione's eyes went wide," died two years ago, she contracted a pox while we were studying in Budapest. I haven't quite recovered from that, you see." Hermione leaned forward and kissed both his cheeks, her hands on his shoulders, and hugged him tightly, she knew that his heart must be incredibly pained, especially when she felt his arms circle her waist and hold her like one would a child in anguish. She didn't quite know how to explain her sorrow for him, so she let him go and moved to lean on the rocks next to him.

"I'm so sorry. I bet she was glorious." He immediately conjured an image for her and she recognized the woman immediately.

"Is she the minister's daughter?" Her hair was the color of honey, her cheekbones sharp, her body lythe and her sheer essence was so intense Hermione could hardly look away.

"Yes, her youngest daughter. This is the first time we've worked together since then, I've always been sure she places blame on me for Beatrix's death. Here is our son, Philip, he's at Beauxbatons." Hermione immediately saw the resemblance between them, but Philip was definitely his mother's son, his hair and eyes matched hers so equally, Hermione could hardly look away.

"They are descended from sirens, you should hear Filla sing." It all made more sense, then, why Filla, Beatrix, and Philip were so alluring, their genetics had intended them to be.

"I'm sure Minister Drakas is glad you are here, I know I welcome those around me related to those we've lost, it somehow makes it easier sometimes." Hermione watched his facial expressions change a few times before she looked back from where they were sitting and saw that Harry had come to find her. After squeezing his shoulder, Hermione joined her quasi family and went back into the square, dancing once more with Ravi, then Harry, before she sat with Paolo and talked about his experience with the magical community Italy, she'd always wanted to visit Milan and Florence, ancient cities she'd only studied in books. When it was very late and she was a bit tired not only from dancing but from the delightful wine, she started walking back to Snape's house and found him on his way back as well.

"You should not walk alone, Ms. Granger." Crossing her arms to mimic him, Hermione stopped for a moment.

"I have a name, you know, it's Hermione. You are no longer my teacher and as we are colleagues, it would be nice to not have to feel so formal around you." His pursed lips reminded her of Professor McGonagall for a moment before it changed into something she recognized as well, his infamous scowl.

"We are not colleagues, you have been asked by your government to help with a very specific activity, I just happen to live here and-"

"And cannot be bothered to...oh, nevermind, it's hopeless with you. My government? Ungrateful-"Muttering,she stomped on ahead of him but instead of going directly to her room, she went to Harry's, but he wasn't yet back, so she sat on her balcony and looked out over the water, the stars and brilliant moon, and walked closer to the edge, looking out to sea again because she saw something move in the water, something so large it couldn't have been a whale, though she couldn't a fathom a whale so close to the shore, she grappled with the image.

"You've seen it?" She heard from her right, a hint of the whimsical in his voice, of the magic she'd first felt years before when she cast her first spell, tested her first wand. The innocence of his voice made her wish they hadn't had another unnecessary spat.

"What is it?" Hermione was far from scared, she was intrigued, she wanted to be out to sea, she wanted to know what was deep within the waters.

"That's why you're here, Ms. Granger, we need you to speak to it." Rolling her eyes at his continued use of 'Ms. Granger', Hermione turned completely to her former professor.

"And you said Scotland wasn't important." She joked, suddenly piecing some things together, the sea monster, the runes, the ancient texts that they were having such difficulty translating.

"I did not, I said Scotland was a distraction."

"Without Scotland, I might not have pieced it together. I need to sober up and get to the museum, I need Bill and Ravi, Minister Drakas has the scrolls...I-" But Hermione knew she would have to wait until the morning, at best she and Severus were the least intoxicated and there was no telling if Bill had even come back since Fleur was due to arrive on the island that evening. Instead of rushing into her room and looking over her things, she watched the sea, imagining for a moment she was back at Hogwarts and this was the Black Lake, the giant squid playing games with their eyes like the sea creature was.

"It was Hagrid, right?"

"I knew you'd get there." She was confused, if Scotland had been a distraction, how was she ever to figure out that Hagrid had copied or at least had a copy of the map.

"You make no sense, Master Snape, I'm afraid you'll always be a mystery." Laying her head on her arm and looking from the sea to the man, she saw him differently again, the child he must've been, the childhood he didn't have, the teenage years he gave up to bullies, his whole life in service, was he really a mystery?

"Perhaps you should spend less time trying to solve that particular puzzle and more on your job, Ms. Granger." She thought of Ravi and his wife, the picture he'd shown her and how beautiful Beatrix was, she thought of Harry and Ginny having a baby, a sweet baby she could spoil and be an aunt to, how much she missed her parents, especially in a place so close to her ancestry, it all made her sad again and tears came. She wiped her eyes and went to bed, not looking to Snape again, not giving him the satisfaction of his being right once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:A bit more information about the creature, but still questions about why the creature is present and why it is "stalking" the island. Also, some of that Gryffindor bravery returns and Hermione shows her true know-it-all persona. Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

"It's a descendant of Ketea, it has to be, close relative to Nessie, urm the Loch Ness Monster but much larger, yet why would it be specifically here, sort of marking its territory? There are thousands of them in the Mediterranean and they hardly ever come this close to land." But as she spoke to the researchers and curse breakers, Hermione came to her own conclusion, immediately jumping to find a series of old stories she'd kept next to the maps she'd drawn.

"This is madness, why would one of these deep sea creatures come to shore so recently, again." Minister Drakas leaned over Hermione looking at the writing, as though confirming at least that the creature was real or at least had been. Focusing on the minister's use of 'again', Hermione became confused as to why they hadn't suspected it was a sea dragon before that moment?

"Perhaps it is territorial due to a threat we don't yet understand. I need to go to the sea, Bill, has the curse been cleared?" When she looked to him, she saw immediately that he it had not been completely cleared and that he was trepidatious about her going to that part of the bay.

"If you are correct, Ms. Granger, and this is a sea dragon, speaking with it and trying to understand the history of an ancient beast might be far too much for our small research team to handle. Perhaps, we should seek more information about the creature." Adnan spoke, not in a belittling way for once, but in honesty; they were probably over their heads. Even with some of the best curse breakers of Europe, the chances of fighting such a beast, so strong willed and large, able to create such a hold on a place, would be too much for young, inexperienced researchers like Hermione. But, they had asked her there, and she felt she must complete her task, whether they deemed it appropriate for her or even safe.

"Harry, come see this." Hermione motioned him over, she felt filled with the same adrenaline she'd known as a younger person, hellbent on doing what she thought was right, and unable to fathom that there were any other solutions. Before she could step away from him to grab another paper and scanned the room, no one was really paying attention to them, the young ones who clearly had no idea what they were talking about.

"Come with me, to the shore. I think I can talk to this creature, I've had experience with the squid and with the history of this place behind me, maybe the merpeople have had interactions with it, maybe they have told it of me." Harry looked perplexed but she knew he would accompany her, he rarely stood down from a challenge.

"Hermione, are you sure about this? You could get drawn into the curse and not even know that you're living the same day over and over until you want to drown yourself." She hesitated but a second and agreed with him.

"You're right, this is foolish." Hermione felt someone at her back, eavesdropping most likely, so she pushed her papers away. Harry leaned in quickly.

"Bernault will accompany us if we go, Whitehall will take the perimeter. We must not get too close to the formations, the curse is still there." Hermione smirked, formulating a plan in her mind of how best to approach such a large creature. It made her immediately think of Hagrid, of his care and patience with all sorts of creatures, she turned to her bag for a second and pulled out her copy of Fantastic Beasts, seeing what Newt Scamander had to say about sea dragons.

"I'd like to speak with the merpeople again, Bill will you be my liason?" Hermione looked over to him, curious about she and Harry were planning since they looked mischievous.

"Of course, I will." He left immediately with two other curse breakers, other drifted from the room as well in their research or planning, they all seemed to have an idea of their own, organizing their own particular ideas of what the creature might be and what it was doing to the area. Some still doubted it was a sea dragon at all, but none could doubt that it was causing the curse to strengthen and wain, to control the area.

"Come, we must go now." Harry grabbed her arm and they walked out, Whitehall and Bernault were already waiting on the steps of the museum, conversing as they waited on Hermione and Harry, looking pleased that there seemed action to take instead of the waiting, the constant waiting they'd been doing during their short stay.

"I just need to get to the formation over there, it isn't cursed at this moment, it has some of the runes and gets me closest to the water if the creature should come, I have hope that it will." Harry talked with his co-conspirators and they discussed protection for Hermione, planning a distinct coverage system before they watched her apparate to the rocks, landing squarely on one shaped like a bridge, and then move towards the water. They all watched as waited, but it wasn't until they saw a mermaid swim close to Hermione that they thought perhaps some progress had been made.

"You are very clever, but it will not come to this rock, you must go further away." Hermione looked down at the lovely mermaid, still so very different from the fairy stories she'd been told as a child.

"But how can I get that far out and be safe? There is no shelter, no way for me to swim that far." At that moment, another mermaid appeared, pointing with her webbed hand into the distance.

"You must go to those rocks, but be cautious, they are quite sharp." Hermione's eyes went maddeningly to the horizon, unsure of the advice of the mermaids, afraid they might be purposely sending her to a disastrous situation, but she needed to get to the creature if possible, so she focused on her location and apparated, immediately landing somewhere far less comfortable than she'd imagined, the waves crashing against the rocks, reminding her momentarily of Andromeda, except she was thankfully clothed. Casting a water-wicking charm from her bag, she then sealed it completely, and waited, and waited...and continued to wait. It took hours before she saw anything, some dolphins jumped near her for a while, then she saw a school of fish rush past her, but it wasn't until the clouds moved a bit to cover the sun that she saw it, the shape she'd come to see so often in postcards and trinkets in Scotland, the sea dragon was moving towards her.

"You are far from shore, human." It suddenly said, it's voice deep and full, like a mouth of warm honey and mead, it spoke to her, but she couldn't tell if she was imagining what was happening or not, was it all a mirage? Had she been drawn into the curse already and this was all in her mind, convincing her that she was speaking with a massive sea dragon instead of sitting on a rock while sea water splashed her. Finally, after an undetermined amount of time, it could have been seconds, it could have been an hour, she had no way to measure.

"I am come to speak with you, to understand what is happening on the island." The creature had a beautiful long neck, almost like a giraffe, but it's body moved far more like a serpent or even a dragon, a true dragon. It's colors were iridescent, shimmering on the water as it moved seemingly effortlessly through the water as though the water were air.

"Oh but you are quick, human, you seek what hundreds have, more years than you can imagine. Why should I tell you what you cannot discover on your own, human?" It swam so quickly around her, moving faster than she could blink, from one position on the side of the rocks to the other before she could catch her breath.

"My name is Hermione, I am a defender of creatures, I work for the rights of creatures. I want to help you, to know why you want to keep this area contained." Hermione tried to keep the pleading from her voice, but so many people had been affected by the curse, some were but hours from ending their lives in the seas.

"You are smart, I can see and the gorgóna have told me much about the people you are working with. Tell me, how much time has passed? Do you know? Does it seem as though I have control over the water or sky, the wind, the call of the gláros? Tell me, young human, Hermione, what spell do you think a ketea can cast?" The words of the sea dragon moved through her, almost as a wave on the shore, she felt a its words move flow on her skin as blood pulsed. It was night, she was sure, it was cold, she was shivering and felt suddenly so empty.

"I am cold, how did you do this?" She felt sudden dread, as though this sea dragon was a dementor, filling her with darkness and a chill she only remembered from the Forest of Dean.

"I am doing nothing, young human. It is an illusion." Suddenly, everything cleared, the sky was bright again, the water as warm as it was closer to shore, and the wind was like a heat wave, washing over her quickly as the creature moved closer to her for a moment then disappeared under the water. Hermione was sure she would see the creature again, but there was also something in her that she couldn't describe. It felt like the worries of her past, the fears following the war were lessened somehow, that her courage was growing in leaps and bounds, ushering her into the dangerous thinking of her youth, her causes and being the champion of equality, of taking charge of her life when it seemed like she would never fit in the muggle or magical world. She looked to the shore and apparated, finding Harry immediately at her side.

"That was magnificent to watch." Harry immediately signaled to Whitehall and Bernault so they could go back to the museum, but Hermione was momentarily hesitant.

"I need to write this down before I forget any of it, not that it was that helpful, but-" Hermione paused, taking out parchment and quill, moving rapidly over it with all of her observations before Harry urged her on, others were coming to the cove and they didn't necessarily want to be seen. She stuffed everything back in her bag and looked to the sea once more, conflicted and confused she wondered if she would have another chance to speak to the creature, she didn't even get a name.

"Hermione, what were you thinking?" Bill and Percy yelled in unison as they made it back to the museum, both Weasley brothers' faces as red as their hair.

"I spoke with the merpeople, we took precautions. We will never get far sitting in this building, hoping to find an answer in some ancient document." Walking past them, she climbed the stairs and found Minister Drakas waiting, a knowing look on her face, and Ravi and Tamzin already looking to the horizon, both appearing to want a chance to speak with the sea dragon as well. Minister Drakas had known there was a sea dragon, it had appeared before, but communicating with it was obviously something they hadn't been able to accomplish.

"It didn't say anything to help, aside from saying it should not give me a straight answer as to why it is controlling that particular area of the coast, saying if we can't figure it out for ourselves it won't tell us. It got me thinking, is it perhaps protecting something we haven't considered?" Hermione set her bag down and sat in one of the chairs closest to the map with the changing formations. She thought it might be a good idea to go to Scotland and speak with Hagrid since it was impossible to speak with Dumbledore, but she knew Hagrid would be getting ready for another school year and that getting to Hogwarts would take longer than perhaps doing a bit of brainstorming and working collectively could bring them.

"You went out there alone?" Professor Adnan asked, looking to his team and then to the minister.

"I wasn't alone, I had three aurors with me and honestly, as I said, we are never going to get anywhere looking at the same map for hours a day. Now that we know for sure it's a sea dragon, we can research specifics to the creature and understand not only if it is capable of casting a curse this intense but why, and it's not gold or silver, it's another treasure." Like being on the sea, she felt their expressions wash over her, it was not uncommon to have this many people doubt her or her intentions, but it felt somehow worse in a room of such educated and dedicated people.

"So we are taking orders from a twenty-something level two MLE employee now?" Hermione's eyes flew to Snape, who had uttered the words she would've expected from Adnan, but not him. He knew her, she thought, he knew how driven she was.

"I am not giving orders, I am stating the direction of my particular research. You've seen the creature, you know it's real, the curse gets lifted from one area and moves to another, our curse breakers cannot possibly remove the curse completely until we figure out why this creature is projecting the curse, if it is at all." She snapped back, not giving anyone else in the room the opportunity to placate her former professor.

"Thank you for that clarification, Ms. Granger, we certainly wouldn't want anyone here to know exactly how much you enjoy being right." She saw him sneer, but found that his eyes didn't hold the same contempt his mouth formed, they looked almost distraught, disappointed, but she couldn't quite figure out why.

"Can you not for once just listen, just allow someone to state an opinion without immediately shooting it down." But if Hermione had thought these words would somehow get through to him, she was wrong, so incredibly wrong.

"Perhaps you should, for once, learn your place." She was steaming before he finished his sentence, his enunciation on each word just as crisp and precise as it had been when she was in school.

"Know my place? You presume to tell me my place-" But before she said another word, she apparated away from the museum to room she'd been staying in at Snape's home, shoving what little she'd unpacked from her beaded bag away again and deciding immediately to take up Minister Drakas on her offer to allow her a respite at the capital house until her translations were completed. Before realizing it, she had torn through his shields, all of the wards he'd put onto the home were broken, she was in the room she'd so admired and now wished she'd never seen, beyond angry and annoyed that she had allowed her personal history with Snape to cloud the job she was sent to complete, though she felt vindicated that he had been pushing the issue, he had been forcing the ire from her. She didn't want to imagine the retaliation she would face when he returned to his home and found his wards destroyed, it would be just one more thing she'd done despite his warnings, one more way she proved how strong and capable she was, even though he already knew quite well.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: A few more mysteries to come and some becoming more clear. Thank you to everyone who has read the first five chapters!

Her mind was completely connected to her anger, though, she had so recognition of the power surge she was experiencing; like tentacles reaching through the water to find a tasty morsel or footing on a rock, Hermione's anger led her to Snape's home, her power shooting from her like fireworks. It was the second time he'd gone out of his way to frustrate her, to embarrass her in front of the entire group but wasn't it his way? He'd been like this at meetings after the war, he'd purposely pushed away those who had tried to befriend him or offer him support, even and especially Harry who went out of his way to give him include him in every possible event, even Sunday dinner. Instead of running, though, she decided to stay, she put her bag down, watching it glitter as different lights from the room hit the iridescent beads, and took a deep breath. Running would solve nothing, letting him win would mean only he would hurl his wicked words at her again and she couldn't continue to let them wound her. It seemed that nothing she could do would change him nor get through to him that she wasn't trying to challenge him or belittle him in any way. Doubtless, she knew there was no changing a single hair on Severus Snape's head.

Harry apparated into her room and found her amess. "You've everything in that bag, still?"

"Harry! You've frightened me!" Hermione jumped up from the floor where she'd fallen, disillusioned from her mental fight against Snape and felt his hand on her shoulder and suddenly they were in the forest again for a moment, starving, cold and tired. It was just a flash but it was so clear; her bag fell from her hand immediately, smacking the floor harder than it seemed possible for such a delicate bag. The weight of it felt like a punch to the gut, the weight of their time in hiding, searching, starving. She didn't like to think of those times unless she needed to overcome some great tragedy or a hurdle she just can't seem to clear, but sometimes, when she was alone at night, she wished nothing more than to be back in that forest with her two best friends, before things became desperate, when they were mates completely unaware of the sacrifices they would eventually make. From the look on Harry's face, she could tell he was going to defend Snape.

"You know he isn't purposely cruel, Hermione, he just, he-" But Hermione's tears hushed him, she wasn't crying over Snape, it was the memories of the Forest of Dean, of Ron leaving them, of the radio incessantly for hours, and she couldn't clear her mind.

"It's better you know, this doesn't happen so often now that I'm at the Ministry." Harry knew exactly what she meant, it happened to him every now and then as well, sudden flashbacks would immobilize him but never lasted long. No one who has experienced such things could live without some sort of reminder, like a scar those memories lay upon them in aches, tingles, the phantom twinge of regret. They both had scars, some so evident and some buried so deeply that it seemed impossible to see.

"Does it bother you?" Harry held her arm out and looked at the fading word, mudblood, on her arm but she wasn't able to respond as a knock was heard from the hallway.

"Ms Granger." It was Snape and though she had expected that eventually they would talk or at least she would write to him that she regretted the way things had gone, but didn't want to continue arguing with him or being belittled by him.

"Do you want me to stay?" Harry asked, before helping Hermione attempted to pull her sleeve back down and stand, both a little less weary.

"No, if he's going to rattle on, let him and if he's to kill me, I'd about welcome it right now since I can't seem to get that blasted creature to speak to me civilly." Harry chuckled for a moment, unsure of whether she spoke of the sea dragon or Snape, or both. He hugged her tightly and apparated to his room.

Hermione wiped her eyes on her shirt, smoothed her hair, and tried to take deep, calming breaths before she turned the ornate knob and was met with Snape. Crying in front of him made her feel hysterical, as though she had little control over her emotions, and as it was she felt that whatever tenuous relationship they'd been able to form was destroyed.

"Yes, Master Snape?" She invited him in, but he stood in the hallway. Though no one else was staying on this floor, aside from him, and most were still at the museum, she thought it rather odd that he did not want to be in her room. "Are you worried I'll hex you? Because I can do that just as well from the door frame as this sofa." She realized her sleeve was still up a bit and pulled at it again until it stubbornly covered the carved word. When she met his eyes again, she saw pity, as she'd looked to him mistakenly before and she thought it deserved.

"Does that say mudblood?" He asked, leaning forward slightly to lift her sleeve to get a better look at the scar, the tattoo she would never have chosen for herself imbued with dark magic. His fingers were cold as ice as they traced the word, his touch alone sending a sensation she'd rarely known through her body; it was curious, frightening but no unwelcome.

"Yes, it does. It was given to me by Bellatrix LeStrange at Malfoy Manor, simultaneous to crucio, please come in." But he didn't, he gave her a look she didn't quite understand and had never seen from him, one that moved beyond pity. It changed quickly from whatever he'd been feeling to one that questioned her again, as though her torture was nothing compared to his. She took a step back, covering her arm again where his fingers, colder than she thought they'd be, had traced the word as though he were seeing it for the first time. Hesitating only one second more, she pulled him into her room.

"Look, if we can't work together, I should go home to the UK. I do not want to be second-guessed at every juncture, especially not by someone who had years of opportunities to put me in my place, and did so. If you want me to leave, I'll leave, it's that simple. Kingsley can replace me, I'm expendable." He finally sat on the sofa, taking in her words, but she still couldn't read him well, his mind seem to move impeccably fast, like a snitch.

"You are not expendable, you are here for a reason." His tone was clipped, almost as though he were jealous of her, being asked specifically to come to Cyprus to investigate the phenomenon.

"Why? Why am I here?" She begged, wanting so much to hear from his mouth that she was necessary, that she was capable of providing something useful and with benefit, but she could she from his expression that he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

"Why do you hate me?" Her voice was searching as she watched over him, his body language screaming to depart from the room as quickly as possible. It was clear he hadn't rehearsed what he was going to say when he made it to her rooms nor prepared for her typical dominance of the conversation, her constant need to prove her intelligence and place. Perhaps he had been right, she thought as she watched his face turn sour, maybe she did need to learn her place, to find her place so that she would never again have to worry she was in the wrong one.

"Why do you suppose I do? Why do you assume any of my ire is pointed directly at you?" He was good at evading questions, Slytherin to the core in his cunning, but Hermione did not take the bait.

"I can't imagine for one moment what it must be like to not be on the receiving end of your ire, and if it's not pointed at me, can you stop being so cruel? I am going out one more time before I leave. " She grabbed her bag again, but simply to look through some of her research. In the morning, she would go back to the coast and try again, sure that the others would attempt the same if they believed her.

"And here I thought you came to actually speak with me." Hermione almost wished she'd had Harry stay with her, something about seeing him this way made him vulnerable, made her wish to forgive every wrong. She wondered if he had strong powers of persuasion, if when he was reading her mind, he was also using his abilities to redirect her own ire, or was she simply projecting her own emotions onto him, his actions?

"I am not using powers of persuasion." He said abruptly.

"Stop reading my mind, you know I can feel it, when you nudge around." She crossed her arms to mimic him and found him a tad more agreeable.

"I don't have the control over my abilities I once had, and I am certainly not trying to 'nudge' around your mind. Yours might as well be a ball of yarn, no one could possibly untangle it." But Hermione disagreed, Bellatrix had certainly untangled her alright, hours on that floor, writhing in agony as her body was lit in pain, her arm dripping slowly with each carved letter.

"I am not a natural legilimens, but I can tell when someone is trying to read my mind, beyond my most present thoughts, and if you aren't trying, then you are certainly more powerful a legilimens than anyone I've ever known. Perhaps I should learn to be a better occlumens so I can counteract your power." Hermione realized suddenly how hungry she was, so she stood, moved to the loo for a moment and freshened up, watching him with her peripheral vision as he sat stone still on the sofa in the guest room of his own house. It was an odd feeling, to have been so angry with him and then to watch his moves so closely, to study him so exclusively, with no one interfering that she almost lost herself in those thoughts, knowing full well that he could be 'listening' in on whatever she was thinking.

"I am famished, would you like to get something from the village?" She was trying her best to continue extending the olive branch, to offer him a chance to alter the way they treated each other. Desperately, she looked to him, images in her mind of a terse perhaps, but quiet meal between two people learning how to be colleagues, perhaps after a glass of wine or two, she'd know her former professor a bit more, but it just didn't seem in the cards.

"There's a place with stuffed grape leaves and spanakopita you should try, near the town center, the lady who lives adjacent owns it." Hermione was surprised when he stood and moved to her door, as though he was actually going to go with her, but she saw him pause, "it's called Phoebe's but it's in the Greek alphabet, it looks like this." He used his wand to spell, 'Φοίβη' but Hermione didn't feel like walking to the little restaurant, her olive branch effectively thrown aside once more. When she heard the door close, she went to her balcony and sat down, staring off into the distance, the shore luring her once again, she knew it had been a while when she noticed the sun beginning to set, her stomach fully protesting then as she finally went down the stairs to the dining room where Harry and Percy were already deep in discussion, Kingsley had come back to check on their progress and was speaking with Snape and Bill, Whitehall and Bernault were arguing about some woman they'd met in town on the walk back, so she quietly took a seat next to Harry and ate her dinner, lamb with rice and yogurt mint sauce, and then went to her room, having said a word to no one besides general pleasantries, and returned to her balcony. It was cooler than the afternoon but still warm, she felt the emptiness of her day drain her, and when Snape came out on his balcony, she only stood from hers and walked in.

Disappointment was familiar to her, but she hadn't expected to be so forlorn about him, his rejection of a simple meal but it felt like everything else in her life that seemed to veer from the plans she'd made before Voldemort changed everything. At this point in her life, she'd expected to be far more successful, perhaps with her own home, Sunday dinners with her parents, and maybe a steady beau because she didn't know if she'd ever marry, and plans to add increasingly to a library, perhaps research and owning her own business. She hated that her perceived belief of his feelings, based upon his actions, made her feel so inadequate and dejected. Perhaps there was more to her feelings she hasn't admitted to herself, she wasn't just trying get Professor Snape to accept her, she wanted to be his equal, to be someone he could trust.

In the morning, she would go back to the rock formations, try and speak to the creature again, then return to the UK, a letter was prepared for Kingsley since he'd returned, and Seamus who was to expect her back in the office. She changed for bed and tried to sleep, but found herself staring off again through the door to the balcony, tired but unable to stop her brain, so she changed back into day clothes, grabbed her bag and left the letter for Kingsley on the hall table, before going to the museum to leave some files she'd worked on and connections she'd made since meeting the creature, she then went to the shore, the area she knew Bill and his team had cleared, and waited until sunrise.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Finally, some answers! Thank you all for reading and responding- my region and town was badly affected by Hurricane Florence and writing has been a major respite from the anxiety and fear. I wrote all of this on paper first and for those of you who don't know I'm dyslexic, I apologize for errors!**

She watched the sunrise over the rock formations, for a second through the arch of Famagusta Bay, the mythical arch that seemed so important yet she couldn't quite put her finger on why. As she sat in the cool sand, time passed without her noticing, the sun crept further and further in the sky before she felt herself crisping up, a sound of something moving the sand near her finally caught her attention.

"I see you followed his advice." Hermione had an inkling of who the soft, syrupy voice belonged to before she turned her head to look, even if they had never actually met.

"Are you Phoebe?" Hermione asked, pulling a scarf from her bag to cover her head as she waited, the sun would soon burn her skin too quickly if she forgot her spells, and staring at the sea often made her forget.

"Yes, my name is Phoebe and you are his Hermione, of the ensynaísthisi. He told me you would come, though I expected it before today." While she spoke, Phoebe weaved a spell in the air, nonverbal magic in display so expertly, Hermione could hardly begin to explain what she was seeing little alone how Phoebe was performing the magic itself.

"His Hermione?" She questioned, steadfast in thought that there was no possible way Snape has spoken of her in any positive manner, especially not since they'd been working together, but she could think of no one else who was connected to Phoebe. It was impossible for her to shift her eyes, like the sirens, the veela, Phoebe kept Hermione's gaze locked, weaving a spell and trying to calm her.

"You are his Hermione, are you not?"

"To whom do you refer?"

"The creature, of course, at least in his human form, he is far nicer surprisingly when he has turned." It didn't make sense, how could a person transform into something like the sea dragon, the magnificent ketea who seemed so regal, powerful, and reclusive. He was a trickster, curious and inquisitive, not immediately evil or giving the perception of evil.

"Severus is the sea dragon?" Hermione quickly asked, looking out to the water and thinking of the first night she saw the creature in the water, from the balcony of the guest room in Severus' house. He was standing next to her, viewing the same thing, so how could he be the creature?

"He both is and is not." Phoebe responded, the same enigmatic way of the merpeople, of most that she encountered in the magical world and she couldn't possible fathom how Snape could both be and not be a sea dragon.

"But he didn't grow up here, he came here after the war to get away, and now he must shoulder this burden as well?" Hermione surmised aloud, not really asking Phoebe but also wishing to express concern. Surely in his life enough had been asked of him, his debt to society had been paid ten-fold.

"It is no curse to him, korítsi méli, he has been brought great joy. Speak with him with an open heart and he will tell you." And with that Phoebe was gone, moving away from Hermione at a slow speed, but almost with the same rush of the waves of the ocean, disappearing into the distance like a mirage. It was unclear to Hermione if Phoebe had truly been real, if their conversation had indeed occurred, but instead of dwelling on the thought, she wiped her face her scarf, the one she'd been using to shield her face from the sun, then heard from behind another set of steps, ardent steps with purpose.

"You are either incredibly foolish or brave, Ms. Granger. I thought you would be gone by now, but you just can't let a mystery go, can you?" Hermione didn't turn towards him, simply sat with her eyes on the ocean, the ebbing tide and the words of Phoebe swirling in her brain. How could Snape both be and not be the sea dragon? As she stared at the sea, she wondered how the knowledge of Snape's place in the whole scheme would change things, did the other researchers know? Is it why they threw away the majority of her thoughts and arguments? She finally looked to him, finding him as contemplative as she and a grimace, a hint of disappointment perhaps, but she didn't know if it was because she was still present or if it was from his own behavior. They remained like this thirty minutes more before Hermione left the spot to explore a set of ruins near Famagusta bay.

"This cave isn't on the maps." She stammered, looking down at her maps, then looking back to him as he stood sluggishly, arms crossed followed her to the rock formations.

"Well spotted, there are many nooks and crannies the researchers have never discovered because the curse typically moves into the regions they need to explore and they can't figure out ways around it." She almost sneered at him, thinking of Phoebe's words and wondering why he seemed so nonchalant. If he was the sea dragon, he was controlling the curse and therefore he was playing a game with all of them.

"This is not a game."

"Stop doing that!" She moved towards the cave and began to cast spells, trying to discern if the curse was still present in the area, but she couldn't get a steady reading until it was too late, perhaps it had been too late since she'd been on the sand, watching the sunrise as though it were the last time. She felt the pull, the lure of her entire being forward, into the cave and beyond; she could not hear Severus calling for her, she simply walked, wand drawn, and was greeted with a sight she hadn't expected, walls of runes, stories she wanted to figure out, to decipher each and every part but instead she felt his arms roughly around her, pulling her away.

"Why was I necessary?" Meekly she asked as he held her tightly and walked them backwards out of the cave.

"I shouldn't have said that."

"So now I am not essential, I don't need to be here?" She asked, turning in his arms to face him, a slick strand of his now much shorter hair falling on his face, obscuring her view of his startling eyes.

"It's too late, Hermione, we are-" But he didn't finish his sentence, instead he released her and stepped away quickly, looking to the cave entrance and their now almost faulty wands.

"The curse? I know, but Bill will save us, he knew I was coming here." With her wand tucked away, she turned to face him completely.

"Now shall you tell me why Phoebe says you are both the sea dragon and not?" His shock was palpable, as though he hadn't expected Hermione to know so soon.

"She shouldn't have said anything at all, little alone something that isn't the full truth." More words but fewer answers, Hermione shouldn't have expected more from him.

"We are stuck unless they save us, or unless you now possess some power you are hiding from me, all of us." The implication that he had been keeping something from them, allowing the curse to affect people and send them into the sea, was more than Severus could bear.

"As usual, you know not of what you speak. I have no power over the curse, I cannot save you, but you can save me." She didn't quite know how to respond to him, but she couldn't deny she wanted to save him, not even fully aware of what she would be saving him from. Each time she looked to him, there was a blur in her vision, as though he was both inside and outside of the bubble of the curse. It made her feel drawn to him, like she was drawn to the runes and the sea; she saw something she hadn't expected, she felt the pressure of his arms pulling her from the runes, but she couldn't fathom why it felt so welcome, why she wanted to wrap her arms around him, hearing the haunting way he'd said that she could save him in her mind. It rocked her to sleep, the feeling of being protected, comforted, indeed the sheer relief of being needed again helped to peace she hadn't known in years.

 **SSHGSSHGSSHG**

"What do you think you are doing?" She heard from behind her, but Hermione did not turn around, instead she apparated to the rocks, the sun was coming up and she wanted to find the sea dragon as soon as she could. Immediately, she felt directed to the spot she had been before, landing squarely on the edge of the rock formation, cutting her leg slightly before the warm sea salt cleaned her wound with a sting. She's only been humming, but perhaps the tune has bothered him, or the maybe she'd sounded off again, like hours before. He still wouldn't explain what Phoebe had told her nor what he meant by telling her that she could save him, so she continued with her tune and tried to stop thinking about him. The trouble was, each time she tried to stop thinking of him, she thought of the sea, of the vastness, the horizon begging her onward. Instead of waiting, she apparated back to the cave and wrapped her wound, continuing to hum her tune as she did.

"You are not a natural singer, are you?" He said impolitely, the echo of her tune finally making her realize that she was singing and not just humming, it was 'Jerusalem', and she couldn't quite figure out why she was singing it in a cave in Cyprus.

"I sang at my parents' church for years, even when I returned for holidays. If it's unpleasant to you, I'm not going to apologize, my mind is obviously trying to find something of comfort." Thinking of her parents, watching her from the audience while she sang in the rectory, each hymn something of their history, and she wondered if he had been taken to church, if he had ever sat through a service with his parents who hadn't seen him for months. Those thoughts only spiraled to what Harry had told her, what he'd seen in Snape's memories and she wanted to escape.

"My mother was orthodox, we attended services when she was well, my father was an atheist, to satisfy your curiosity."

"I will not apologize for my curiosity either, when I did not speak it aloud." Suddenly she wondered how long they'd been there, in Famagusta bay, in the cave where all the runes of ancient history painted the walls, and she couldn't remember night or day, everything felt like a blur.

"Why did you pull me from the runes?"

"You will read them." He snapped, tossing a pebble out of the cave.

"This would all be a lot easier if you'd just give me a straight answer. You won't tell me why Phoebe-" He cut her off, silencing her with one wave of his hand.

"Why should I tell you what you cannot discover on your own?" Squinting, she remembered the sea dragon saying the same words, but she could not ascertain if he had pulled it from her memory or if he had spoken them to her originally. She refused to wait another minute, trying desperately to leave, to find the sea dragon, to find a way around the curse; she went deeper into the cave and cast 'lumos', beginning to decipher the runes. They were represented on the maps, she recalled, at least some of them but she couldn't quite understand the story, it was like a myth, written as it should be spoken, but without the inflection and natural pull of the storyteller. Methodically, she read them over and over, putting together a bit of the story, feeling the weight of what she was reading: they were trapped in a sort of elysium, an afterlife though not dead, but then, when she thought more thoroughly on the subject, she thought of Snape, had he died, was he stuck, as they said, and she suddenly wondered if he was a ghost. But she'd felt him, the weight of his body, his arms around hers, could ghosts make themselves so solid? Is this how he could both be and not be the ketea?

Hours she sat before those runes, casting lumos when her strength failed, when her mental acuity drifted off into the sea, she could feel the pull of the sea as the waves lapped the shore, so she finally went to feel the water. If this was elysium, why would anyone want to drown themselves in the waters? It was then, she saw it in the distance, the sea dragon, so she apparated to the rocks, hitting herself again, in the same spot.

"You are a tenacious one, are you not?" It's deep voice rattled her as she cleaned her wound in the water.

"I want to save these people, this island. Why do you do this? Why do you lure them into the water?" Hermione begged, on the verge of tears.

"I am Theóstaltos, I am not here to harm. What you humans think you have learned of the spells we cast leave much to be desired." Hermione's eyes snapped up again, watching the beautiful creature swim around her, it did not look anything like Snape.

"You are heaven sent? The runes said this is elysium, not like heaven, more like limbo, are these people who come to the water already dying? Is this relief?" The more she thought on her own questions, she wondered if she was close to death, had the water been luring her since she arrived? What had Snape meant when he said she was essential? Was she the only one who could save him because she was also with him?

"You ask many questions, human-"

"My name is Hermione, or do you not care to know my name? Easier to continue playing games with me?" Instantly, she regretted her quick tongue when it raised from the water for a moment, facing her, nostrils flared.

"We are bound by laws far beyond any you know, young human. I do not control the 'curse' nor do I harm the people, this is a vessel, a form taken, a mirage as real as the runes on the cave walls, as the formations that have grown and fallen into the sea, we are called to this service." Guilt filled Hermione, they'd been so wrong about what was happening on Cyprus, yet she didn't understand why it seemed this only happened on Cyprus, it didn't seem to happen in the lochs of Scotland, where the Loch Ness monster was apparently some cousin to the creature before her. As though her eyes were suddenly opened, she felt something break, the rocks beneath her crumbling into the water, trying to catch herself on the rock, she wondered if this was some punishment for saying too much, knowing too much.

"Save me!" She cried out, reminding herself that she was in fact magical and transporting herself to the shore, far away from the sea dragon and once again finding herself surrounded by night, the cold brew of a storm, but she couldn't tell what was real and what was imagined, she felt that every encounter she had with the sea dragon was one of mirage, she no longer believed any of it was real, that it was all happening in her head.

'Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?' She heard echoed in her mind, Professor Dumbledore's words spoken through Harry to her in the infirmary after the final battle. Except, she heard it again, this time spoken in a deep, almost haunting voice.

"Are you the harbinger of death?" Hermione asked, not truly knowing to whom she was speaking, finding no one around her after she'd spoken, only the sea dragon off in the distance, swimming repeatedly around the formations, then as if struck by lightning, a portal opening and ten or so people walked past her, all with massive smiles on their faces, some holding hands, some looking to her as though they'd gone on a long journey and were finally getting to rest.

"Do you understand now?" She heard Severus ask, as the luminous light disappeared with the night, it was sunny, her face was toasty and he looked tan as well.

"No, I don't understand at all." She cried, feeling the phantom pain in her knee again, but when she looked down it wasn't there, no cut or bruise, her legs were exactly as they were when she left England, just a bit more color. In swift movements, far quicker than her brain could fathom, Hermione felt his hands on her shoulders as she began to sing again, this time her voice stopped him from gripping her so tightly and instead he pulled her closer, she sang louder.

"You can talk to the sea dragon, the merpeople, beings of all kinds because you are descended of the island, of the people who first came here, Hermione, you are essential because you beckon them home, you can read the runes because you have been given the gift." Compelled, she continued to sing, bringing the people again, this time she couldn't look at them, she looked only at Snape, seeing her own reflection in his dark, fathomless eyes.

"We are not dead, we are part of a ritual, we were chosen. Do not leave, please, or they will be stranded, and so will I." Her voice continued, her song one she didn't even know, an elegy to the dead. It didn't make any sense, she felt herself spiraling but Snape held her tightly, giving her some of his strength. All of the enigmatic things he'd said over the course of her time in Cyprus, the constant distrust and annoyance he displayed had been to rile her up, to make her fight for her cause because she was brave and strong, she wanted to solve the riddle, and he'd known she could. It was clear she couldn't leave, not physically, but mentally she was losing herself. It finally hit her, he'd been called to the island and couldn't leave for four years, his life was paralyzed in time, like theirs and he'd waited, he'd not succumbed to the sea in all that time. His devotion proved itself once again, even if he'd driven her mad while riling her up, and she had almost let go, let her power diminish and fade so quickly. Embarrassment colored her face as she thought of her weakness.

"If you had not come, the people would've been left for years to wonder when they would reach elysium. They get to visit their old lives for a short time, but it becomes unbearable for them because they cannot move on. The history is lost, the original story only spoken never written. Our community will always try to stop this 'curse' but it's not a curse unless the descendents cannot return. The one who was chosen as siren was killed during the war, she could not release these souls, so Theóstaltos came to protect them until you were called, they were becoming restless and causing havoc on the island, do you understand now?" The light disappeared again and her voice was immediately silenced, she fell into his arms and unable to hold herself upright, she closed her eyes as he lifted her like a feather and carried her, to where she did not know. She was only certain that once again she had doubted him, who he was, his heart, and though he hadn't made it easy for her, she felt the weight of her own distrust weigh her down. If she was the siren, he was ketea, the protector, Virgil, the guide they needed to ensure they made it safely. It made her wonder how much Minister Drakas had really known, all of them, and why she had been so weak to the call. It intrigued her as she finally drifted completely, like a raft at sea, lost and funneling in a riptide.

 _translations:_

 _ensynaísthisi- empathy_

 _korítsi méli- honey girl_

 _Theóstaltos- heaven sent_


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: One more chapter after this one and this story has come to an end; I have enjoyed so much trying to mix mythology with the aftermath of the war. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.**

SSHGSSHG

"You really don't remember what happened in the cave or on the beach? We could see something massive, almost like the sea dragon, but we couldn't get there, it was a giant forcefield." Harry spoke low, buttering his toast as he offered Hermione a slice.

"I only remember it seeming like months had passed or minutes, there was no clear marker of time, it was relentless, though." She didn't want to lie to Harry, but she also knew she would be told by Minister Drakas or even Minister Shacklebolt that the job they'd completed was bound by international secrecy, or at least she assumed it would happen. Each question Harry asked, Hermione gave him an answer but it was always vague, and when she looked to Snape, he seemed to appreciate that she wasn't telling him about their experience.

"But how did you break the curse?" He asked, eating the rest of his eggs and kippers, drinking one more large gulp of tea.

"I honestly don't know, Harry, I just know the sea dragon left after a time. The cave with the runes was so massive, there is no way to explore it all or get to it unless the sea dragon is near, there must be some magic keeping it hidden." With this Harry finally stopped asking questions, they all finished breakfast and went to the museum for a debriefing. Minister Drakas thanked all of the researchers for their assistance, promising recommendations for other jobs and commendation for their service. It all felt a bit odd to Hermione, as the minister spoke about the event, the work of the curse breakers and researchers, as though they'd all actually done something. It wasn't that she expected the minster to tell the entire crew what had actually happened, but she had hoped that they wouldn't leave under the illusion that their efforts had been successful. Instead, as she spoke, Hermione started making a mental list of all the things she needed to do before they left for Britain, what she needed to get finished once she was back home and in the Magical Creatures division, but none of it seemed as interesting as what she had experienced wrapped in Snape's arms on the beach, singing an elegy, beckoning the souls into elysium. In her short life, she'd accomplished and experienced so much, but nothing felt more important than giving those souls peace.

"Your thoughts are quite loud." She heard from her right, where Snape was finalizing some paperwork for Minister Drakas before he would return to his home.

"Stop reading my mind." She squinted and scrunched her face, finding herself quite confused by the entire situation. Instead of engaging him further, Hermione grabbed her bag and papers, walking to Phoebe's to see if she was really the woman she'd seen on the beach, hoping to get a few answers before she left for Britain, but she wasn't there. Hermione thought over the time she'd been in Cyprus, how Snape has chastised her for pushing her mind and body too far, knowing how much strength she would need once the moment was right to open the gate to elysium, and as though she too could read her mind, Phoebe appeared at her door.

"Was I not right, is he not happier?" It was her, it was the woman from the beach. At least one question had been answered, she hadn't imagine Phoebe that day on the beach.

"I don't know him well enough to know if he's happier." Hermione responded, but she knew it was a lie, she may not have known Severus Snape beyond what Harry had told her and what she'd experienced in his classroom, but it was clear that his life in Cyprus was better.

"He is a natural protector, Nikolai, NIcholas, he will always protect." Hermione nodded in agreement, biting her lip as she wondered if he would want freedom from that responsibility.

"He deserves an unburdened life, he's been through so much." Hermione heard herself say the words, felt them deeply in her heart and before she could wipe them away, tears rolled down her cheeks steadily. Her respect for Severus Snape had grown, her desire to see him as happy as she had the night before on the balcony, that was new.

"He has choice now, that is an unburdened life to him." Phoebe patted Hermione's shoulder before going into her quaint restaurant to prepare for lunch service, leaving Hermione to further ruminate on her feelings, on her experience, on Severus Snape.

They left two days later, though Hermione was reluctant because she still felt there were so many things she wanted to talk to Snape about, so much she felt she still needed to learn, but away she went, trying her best to leave Cyprus and Severus Snape from her mind. Back at the Ministry, she and Seamus immediately began work on a new case, filing in more pages of her memoirs but leaving out her experience in Cyprus, she just didn't know how to write about it. Months passed her she even tried to record her experience, on enchanted parchment, tucked safely in her beaded bag, she didn't want anyone to find it, but she also felt every moment she was away from Cyprus, that her memories were becoming fuzzy, almost as though it had all been a dream. She went out with her friends, enjoyed a quidditch match every now and then, worked on her hours for her next certification in law, and when James Sirius Potter was born, she finally felt like more of her had returned from Cyprus.

"He so gorgeous, Ginny, I could just stare at him for hours." The little bundle in her arms looked remarkably like Harry wish striking dark hair and light eyes, pudgy and chunky as a healthy baby should be, making little sounds and holding her thumb so tightly.

"You need one of these, you know." Harry watched her with James, how happy she seemed for the first time in a while, then he noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Hermione, don't cry." Ginny moved to sit next to her on the sofa, Harry immediately joined her, bookending her with his wife and child.

"No, it's just, he's perfect." Hermione could not tell them, what she'd seen in their little boys eyes, how long he would live, how many things he would do, how he would bring them so much joy. This side effect, this power she did not know she possessed frightened her. There was a knock at the door, so Harry moved to let Draco, Astoria, and Snape in, all coming to visit the baby Potter.

"Are you sure this child is half Weasley because all I see is Harry." Draco commented as Hermione handed the perfect bundle over.

"I did carry him for nine months, maybe someday it'll show." Ginny joked, garnering a laugh from the room, causing Hermione to wipe her eyes again to remove the last of her tears.

"I'll get tea." She remarked standing, walking past them and into the long hallway leading to the dining room and kitchen, finding Kreature already putting the teapot on the tray.

"Thank you, Kreature." He bowed slightly, then moved to the larder, still not entirely comfortable with Hermione. Before she could put the tea cups on the tray and the biscuits she'd brought from Marks and Spencers, she felt a static change in the air, her mind was invaded before she could try and throw up a wall.

"Do you require help, Ms. Granger?" His voice was still ragged, he was still slightly tanned, his hair short as before, he was wearing a black oxford shirt and pants, he looked exactly the same.

"You could take the cakes, if you will." But as she reached for the cakes tray, moving it closer to him, she met his eyes and he saw it, what she'd seen in James eyes, his future in quick succession.

"Don't be frightened, this happens to me as well."

"You could've warned me, I was not prepared to see my nephew's entire life flash before my eyes." Her own eyes could not move from his, the draw they held, how she remembered him looking at her as she sang, how she'd never felt so supported in her life.

"You left before we could talk properly, there is more that needs to be told." Immediately taken aback, Hermione remembered there being ample time for conversation before she and Harry returned with Percy to Britain.

"Are you staying here, then?" Hermione asked, motioning to the upper floors before taking the tea tray in her hands and liting it from the kitchen island.

"Yes, for a time."

"Vague as usual. Is it one of your special talents to answer questions with riddles, or is that a byproduct of ketea?" When his lips moved into a smirk, his eyebrow raised, Hermione knew that the animosity she'd felt so severely upon arriving on Cyprus was gone, he didn't mean her harm even if he couldn't speak to her in any linear fashion.

"I never meant to harm you." He spoke immediately, reminding her that he was an expert legilimens, that his ability to read something's thoughts was like breathing.

"You didn't, not really, you saved me." With the confession spoken aloud, Hermione felt her eyes watering again, wishing she could speak to him more, to admit that her life had felt meaningless since the war ended, that any healing that should've happened hadn't, her body had healed, but her mind hadn't. Being in Cyprus, eventually understanding why she was there, the usefulness she felt, the way everything seemed new, fresh, the stars more beautiful than ever and her heart so full, like it was looking into baby James' sweet face, she finally felt like she was living again. She took the tea tray into the sitting room and served everyone, hoping that once the fray left, she'd get an opportunity to talk more to Snape, to really ask questions about the magic she felt surge through her when he was around, how everything seemed so different since she'd been to Cyprus. But, she fell asleep on the settee as she waited, her week catching up with her. James' cries eventually roused her from sleep, forgetting her mission to speak with Snape completely, she apparated to her flat and went to bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: the final chapter, a bit more left open and some questions answered. I play with the mythology quite a bit, but it's so much fun to do. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing as I am trying to get back into the habit of writing more consistently again.**

In the morning, when she awoke completely and found herself in her clothes under her duvet, she couldn't remember getting home. Padding softly from her room to the loo, she felt herself finally waking completely, smelling breakfast cooking in her kitchen, unaware that anyone else was in her flat.

"You seem to miss too many meals, Ms. Granger." Hermione tried to smooth her hair, pull it into a ponytail as Severus Snape cooked her eggs and sausage.

"Hermione, my name is Hermione. You're in my home, you should use my name." She moved around him, filling her electric kettle and remembering she was still in the clothes she'd worn the day before.

"Calling you Hermione seems…" But he never finished his thought, instead he plated their breakfast. They ate in relative silence, questions swirling in her brain as she sipped her tea and devoured the breakfast.

"I don't remember the last time I ate breakfast at a normal time." She interjected, trying to break the silence, before contemplating a shower and fresh clothes.

"I won't be offended if you don't." Rolling her eyes, Hermione wondered how loud her thoughts must've been if he felt the need to comment.

"Quite loud." Sending the plates to the sink, Hermione turned from him, grabbing clean clothes from her armoire and went to the loo, turning the taps and relishing the heat, taking her mind off the fact that Severus Snape was in her kitchen. It felt likes days passed as she showered, washing her hair.

"You have an odd amount of books on poisons." He said as she walked through, her hair wrapped in a towel, her jumper one Molly Weasley had made her for her birthday and corduroy pants warm enough for the English winter.

"This is just one room." But she remembered his home, his library, all of the ornate things he had from travels and things he'd done after the war. Taking the towel from her head and moving her fingers gently through sections of her hair, she watched him fingering books in her den, looking to her every four or five books, then coming to sit across from her.

"You have questions, I will try to answer them all." Hermione was surprised by his candor, by his being in her flat, by the way her heart felt in his presence, like a spell had been cast and she now saw him in a much different light. It frightened her indeed, to feel more than animosity and sorrow for him, to wonder if he still carried his love for Lily Evans like a cross to bear, if he was going to live in Cyprus for the rest of his life or if like before he would visit Britain occasionally for Harry's social events or ministry functions. But when her mouth opened to ask him, she couldn't make herself ask him if he felt differently about her, if he felt like there was a connection between them that hadn't existed before, like they were tethered together, like every time he was close she felt as happy as she had on the balcony of his house.

"Tell me how you came to be in Cyprus after the war." The beginning, she thought, start at the beginning and work towards answers to all of her others questions. Hours passed, they'd had leftover curry she'd gotten from a takeaway, but when dinner came, she decided they should probably get real food.

"You haven't exhausted all your questions?" He asked, looking to the clock on her wall. He'd been patient and compliant, and she wondered if that meant she would never get another opportunity to talk to him, forcing her to speak like a maniac, asking more, demanding more, she couldn't fathom his absence.

"Pause, take a breath, I am here, I am not going anywhere until you have asked me everything you need to, and then if you have more questions or simply, well, write to me, I will respond." Phoebe's words echoed in her brain, reminding her that he didn't view his life as a burden.

"I'm sorry, I'm intense, I know, I just...you wouldn't talk to me before, not really."

"It wasn't because I believed you were too intense, before we accomplished the ultimate goal of shepherding the people to their final resting place, I worried I would tell you what was expected and that you would leave."

"The knowledge of our task would not have made me leave." She responded sharply.

"I didn't know that, obviously. I spent three almost four years trying to find the siren, I wasn't going to risk losing you." Hermione's face scrunched as it often did when she contemplated another's words, the words from her former professor making things more complicated.

"It seems we both have much to learn." Her words were true, she didn't really know him, not really, and he didn't know her, they had preconceived images of the other in their minds from years before, and though she felt like she could easily talk to him for hours more, she recognized that perhaps it was too much.

"I will be at Harry's tomorrow for James' christening, why don't we continue this conversation then." He stood, took his tea cup to the sink, and looked to her, they were both exhausted, but she couldn't quite describe how she felt, like they were reincarnated souls finding each other again for the first time in millenia.

"Yes, that would be good." When she stood, to walk him to the door, she felt him at her back, the way his eyes bore into her neck as though he could see directly into her mind, "Thank you, Severus." If he'd been surprised by her use of his given name, he didn't show it. He walked through her door and apparated back to Grimmauld Place, leaving Hermione as confused as she'd been before his arrival, but still thankful for answers and his time. When he returned to Cyprus a week later, Hermione didn't feel the immediate weight of absence as she had when she'd left to come home. Instead, she was filled with hope and wonder, curious to see what would become of their strange attachment, of the future that she couldn't see for them, but according to Severus Snape she would see in children, especially those she loved, and sometimes people her own age, even if she didn't want to. And when the letters started, they didn't stop, she asked him about the runes, the magic, the history and he told her everything he knew, they wrote in code, weekly letters, sometimes more than one a week before he returned briefly for James' first birthday, it felt as amazing to her as it had when she'd met him again after James' birth, except this time they talked of different things, the island, Phoebe, the food, the travels he'd done in Turkey and Armenia, researching with Professor Adnan and his team. Before he left, Hermione promised to write and he did the same, but soon she found it was not enough, the letters had been her favorite thing of the week, but she wanted more. When she finally decided to travel to Cyprus to lead a small conference on the runes and history of Famagusta Bay, she felt immediately grounded and filled with elation when she walked into his house.

"Took you long enough." She heard as she entered the kitchen where he was preparing garlic sauce for pasta.

"You could've invited me back ages ago, you know." She retorted, coming to his side to smell the garlic sauce and perhaps try some.

"You needed to come back on your own timeline, when you were ready, I could not alter that timeline." Placing her arm around his waist, boldly, reciting the words of letters they'd written to each other for almost eighteen months, and it was there so effortlessly, the tether, the electricity of their magic.

"Well, I'm here now, what time do we eat?" Squeezing his waist a bit, she looked up to him, finding his eyes as hopeful as her own.

"At half six and not a moment later." He'd leaned into her a bit as he spoke, his words tickling her ear and neck.

"Yes, sir, I promise not to get too enraptured by your books." His face made her laugh as she turned away from him, so much joy and anticipation filling her as she walked from his kitchen to the room she'd used when she was there before, the balcony beckoning her immediately, she saw the rising moon off in the distance, and felt the breeze tickling her as his breath had, she felt safe, she felt for the first time like her heart and brain were in the same place, and when it was time to eat dinner, she rushed down the stairs, and found him waiting for her, at the table that seemed incredibly long without as many guests as he'd had before.

"All this time and you have never asked how I knew you were the siren." Severus said suddenly as they ate, time seeming to stop as she enjoyed the shrimp and pasta in garlic sauce, with lemon and capers.

"I was in pieces, parts of me still in the Forest of Dean, Malfoy Manor, Gringotts bank, in the Department of Mysteries, Shell Cottage, you saw that I was a puzzle that needed putting together, as you had been after the war, you helped me become whole again." Her response surprised them both, she was right of course but that hadn't been how he'd known she was the siren, he decided to keep it to himself if she hadn't put that particular puzzle together. Even though he was forthcoming when she asked questions, even if he could tell her everything about his travels and research, there were still magical bonds that kept him from revealing to her the qualifications for fulfilling the roles they'd been destined to play.

"Can we walk to the shore?" She asked as she helped clear the table.

"Yes, let me change." When they met again in the foyer, both wearing clothes more appropriate for a humid evening walk, Hermione remembered how she'd felt the night she'd danced with Ravi, time seemed to move so differently in Cyprus, and as nice as it had been to feel desirous to someone, she remembered Severus watching her from across the area where people were dancing. As they walked to the beach, she saw many around them, enjoying their evening, but the longer they stayed, the more she felt like she'd seen some of the people before, their faces etched in her memory as clearly as those of people she loved.

"Severus?" She turned to him, it finally dawned on her what she was seeing.

"Hermione." Her name on his lips did not ease her sudden fear, her questions, the feeling of everything around them crushing her.

"Do not be afraid, we simply see what others do not. You are seeing the echoes of the past, signatures and pieces of people who have been here before, who have used this place to welcome elysium." She felt her fear subsiding a bit, the questions mounting as it finally entered her mind- he'd known she was the siren because he'd seen her before, like this, a vague entity, the signature of a past siren following her like a song. Perhaps it had all been fated, if she allowed herself to believe in fate or perhaps she really had been the broken thing she believed she was working at the ministry and trying to live a normal life following a war.

"We've done this before, haven't we?" It felt surreal, the sudden memories of another life, of being on that beach, of seeing the people around her in different times, and it was clear why being around him post their task had filled her with such joy, the electricity of their magic singing like her song; their souls were familiar, their lives intertwined in a way that she might never fully understand.

"Yes, you are the siren and I am the ketea, we have found each other again, it always takes you a bit longer to remember." As soon as his words filled her mind, she felt faint memories creeping up in her mind, of him at different ages, in different times, but still next to her, the same tether, as though their souls were far older than she could fathom.

"We have the knowledge of the history of this place, because we've been here before, you have a gift and so do I, it's why I came here after the war, I was drawn here, as though my blood was beckoning me. Maybe next time, our path won't be so troubled, so much loss and pain, maybe we won't have to live such a double-life, perhaps we'll come together when we're young, when we have much less baggage." But as Hermione listened to his words, she still couldn't wrap her mind around the knowledge she now possessed.

"I don't think so, Severus, I think we have to be damaged, we have to want to help or otherwise we'll ignore the call, I think this is the only way we find each other." The words seemed familiar, like she'd spoken them many times before, though other things seemed entirely new. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, her pulsed quickened and she felt like she was in the cave, that this was repetition like the curse, she felt as though she was reliving the same moment over and over again.

"We are on the beach, Hermione, we are not in the cave, there is not a curse, there is simply the gift of shepherding, of being part something much larger than us. Do not be afraid, I am the ketea, I will let no harm come to you." For once, she believed him, she felt the relief of the remnants of what they'd done for the people frozen in time on the island, she felt his hand in hers and accepted that it would take time to truly understand her place in the world, to absorb that she belonged with him, Severus Snape, that the past was more than just years spent in his classroom, fearing him a traitor, but it suddenly made more sense why Dumbledore had begged him to help, to release him from this life. Leaning into him as she had in the kitchen, she wondered what the future would bring, the anticipation of his hand at the nape of her neck, his fingers softly turning curls between them, almost absentmindedly. She found that it didn't frighten her, she finally felt peace again as she looked out to sea, the warmth of his body next to hers a comfort she hadn't known she needed; the moon glowed over them, the stars filled her with happiness she'd never known again, only increasing as he pulled her closer, fitting perfectly as though it was her place, the place she'd always found comfort, and then it all made sense, she was truly home, safe and sound.


End file.
